Sanders Defeats Rivals in Iowa? Results Delayed

According to We Are Iowa, early results show Sanders ahead of rivals in the race for the state’s 41 Dem delegates.

Addressing supporters Monday night, Sanders slammed Trump, saying “we cannot continue to have a president who is a pathological liar, who is corrupt, who does not understand our constitution, and is trying to divide our people based on the color of their skin, their religion, their sexual orientation, or where they were born.”

Iowa caucus results were supposed to be released Monday night.

Instead they were delayed, Politico headlining: “ ‘It’s a total meltdown:’ Confusion seizes Iowa as officials struggle to report results.”

“The Iowa caucus results appear to be indefinitely delayed, leaving (Dem) candidates in a lurch.”

Is the problem “technical,” as reported, or something more unseemly?

Are results being manipulated before release to favor party favorites over others, notably Sanders. Polls showed him favored over other Dems.

In 2016, WikiLeaks revelations of thousands of DNC emails showed party support for Hillary, plotting against Sanders, rigging things to make her party nominee.

The process was like holding a world series or super bowl with only one team contesting.

Sanders never had a chance in the race to become Dem presidential nominee in 2016 — DNC/media collusion and other dirty tricks used against him.

Party bosses chose Hillary, primaries rigged to assure her nomination. Will a similar pattern play out this year?

The US money-controlled political process has been rife with fraud and other dirty tricks for time immemorial.

Despite losing to Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004, GW Bush served two terms as president — electronic ease and majority Supreme Court justices elevating him to power.

Numerous other examples of a debauched system date from early in the 19th century, modern-day technology enabling things to turn out the way party bosses and deep-pocketed funders wish.

In its Tuesday edition, the Wall Street Journal published Iowa Caucus results from 33 of 1,765 districts, showing Sanders with 27.7% of the vote, Biden with 11.1%.

The Sanders campaign released its own tally from 40% of reporting precincts, showing him ahead of other Dem aspirants with 28% support to Buttigieg’s 21%, Warren’s 19%, and Biden with 14%.

A final count of districts tabulated had Sanders getting 30% support, Buttigieg 25%, Warren 21%, Biden 12%, and Klobucher 11%.

Biden’s poor showing could eliminate him from contention if New Hampshire results next Tuesday are similar.

What caused what Politico called a “technical meltdown in Iowa…a huge black eye” to the state, “set(ting) off bedlam in the” first race for the White House contest?

The NYT blamed it on a “poorly tested…app,” citing anonymous sources.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/sanders-defeats-rivals-iowa-results-delayed/5702779

Air Force colonel sentenced to prison for child pornography

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An active duty Air Force colonel was sentenced today to five years in prison for receiving images of child sexual abuse.

According to court documents and admissions made in connection to his plea agreement, Colonel Mark Visconi, 48, of Fairfax, received and attempted to receive child pornography through the Internet. Visconi used an online bulletin board dedicated to the sharing of child pornography that operated on the anonymous Tor network to download child pornography. A forensic review of his laptop showed that Visconi downloaded and viewed numerous child pornographic images and videos.

Visconi also used his cell phone to create hundreds of pictures focused on the clothed buttocks of minor girls. In a smaller subset of these pictures, Visconi appeared to take “upskirting” images of some of the girls. It does not appear that any of the girls were aware that pictures were being taken.

In addition to his prison sentence, Visconi was sentenced to 15 years of supervised release, ordered to pay restitution to the identified victim, and ordered to complete 50 hours of community service by speaking or writing about his experience and conviction.

“This man not only deliberately sought out illicit content, he produced and distributed it. He made himself a participant in this cruel, abhorrent industry that exploits the most the vulnerable in our society – our children,” said Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/air-force-colonel-sentenced-prison-child-pornography#wcm-survey-target-id

Netanyahu: Settlement annexation after election

The prime minister said Blue and White leader Benny Gantz wouldn't annex without EU and Arab approval.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to backtrack from plans to annex West Bank settlements this week when he told a crowd at a Likud rally in Beit Shemesh on Tuesday night that he would ll exercise sovereignty over all settlements after the March 2 election.

Netanyahu said the annexation would only occur if he formed the next government. He contrasted himself with his opponent, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, who said he would implement US President Donald Trump's Middle East plan with international approval.

The prime minister said Gantz meant that he would only annex settlements if the United Nations, European Union approved, as well as the Joint List, whose support Gantz could need to build a governing coalition.

"So Gantz would not really implement the plan, and if it was dependent on him, this historic opportunity, the likes of we may not have seen since our independence in 1948, would not be carried out," Netanyahu said. "But we in Likud will not this enormous opporunity fall through our hands. We brought it, and we are here to implement it."

Netanyahu said the only way the plan would be implemented is if there would be a significant rise in the turnout of Likud voters in the election.

"We are making peace not out of weakness, but out of strength," Netanyahu told the crowd, sounding like his 1996 election slogan, "making peace secure."

Netanyahu recounted his success in bringing home Naama Issachar from Moscow and his meeting with the leader of Sudan and promised the crowd "more surprises." He warned that if he did not win, the Left would come to power and implement its former policies.

"I stopped Israel withdrawing to pre-1967 lines and dividing Jerusalem," he said.

Bashing former US President Barack Obama, Netanyahu said "what is really hard is standing up to an American president for eight years," but "what is really easy is voting Likud."

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Prime-Minister-Netanyahu-speaks-from-Beit-Shemesh-watch-live-616506

Turkish Forces Reportedly Shelled Russian Military Police In Northern Aleppo

On Februray 4, a series of reports appeared that Turkish-backed forces (according to some versions, the Turkish military) had shelled positions of the Russian Military Police in northern Aleppo. The incident allegedly took place in the village of Kashtaar, which is located relatively close to Tell Rifaat.

These reports remain unconfirmed.

Over the past day, Turkish-backed forces have intensified attacks on positions of the Syrian Army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces across entire northern Syria. They even launched a large attack near al-Bab, which was repelled by government forces. Local sources link these developments with attempts of Turkish proxies to assist their Idlib counterparts that are suffereing from setbacks in the battle against the Syrian Army.

If the February 4 incident is confirmed, it will lead to even further escalation in the region. Tensions in Greater Idlib and northern Aleppo are already high over the recent military escalation between the Turkish Army and the Syrian Army.

https://southfront.org/turkish-forces-reportedly-shelled-russian-military-police-in-northern-aleppo/

Turkey doesn’t need to come into collision with Russia, Erdogan says

There is no need in conflicting or arguing with Russia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters onboard his plane heading home after a visit to Ukraine. Fragment of the interview were aired by NTV on Tuesday.

https://tass.com/world/1116391

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